PHOTOS: Mayor Perkins' pre-election party

Mayor Robbie Perkins held a pre-election party on Monday night at Tavo in downtown Greensboro. Perkins said the event wouldn't help his campaign if it was held on election night after people already voted, and said that it would help encourage turn out and support for the campaign.

Perkins faces Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan and challenger George Hartzman in Tuesday's primary. Perkins and Vaughan are widely expected to knock of Hartzman in the primary and proceed to duke it out in the general election.

Left, an ice sculpture for the campaign seen from behind with a band performing in the background. Below, Perkins talking to Theresa Yon, a former Republican NC House candidate who wanted the city to pass a stricter noise ordinance. Perkins, who used to live in Center Pointe like Yon, initially pushed for a tighter ordinance at the beginning of 2012 at Center Pointe developer Roy Carroll's request.

Halfway through the event, about 30 people were in
attendance, but campaign staff said "well over 100" people attended in total last night. Tayna Wiley, his campaign manager, said that he will be watching the election results from his State Street office on Tuesday evening.

Challenger Nancy Vaughan (who, of course, was not at the event) said that she will initially watch the results come in at home with her family before heading down to the Guilford County Courthouse where candidates traditionally watch the results trickle in.

Below, Perkins greeting former Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston, who was tied up in two major items that came before city council recently (the Bessemer Shopping Center and a loan for the International Civil Rights Center & Museum). Alston spoke with Perkins briefly at the door, stopping to pin on a Perkins campaign button before trying a shrimp cocktail and mingling like the mayor.

(Not everyone in attendance was a highly-visible power broker in the city —though developer and DGI Chair Dawn Chaney came, too — but the room was dimly lit and numerous other photographs did not come out well).